Improved process of burning gas for the production of heat, light



, UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICEO SIMON STEVENS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVED PROCESS OF BURNING GAS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF HEAT, LIGHT, 6L0.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 56,629, dated July 24, 1866.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, SIMON STEVENS, of the city of New York, in the State of New York, have made a new and useful Improvement in Burning Gas for the Production of Heat and Light; and I hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description of the same.

The nature of my invention consists in mixin g steam with gas such as is produced by the distillation of coal, wood, resin, petroleum, peat, or other hydrocarbon substances or equivalents, and employing this mixture of gas and steam for the production of heat and light.

Many attempts have been made to burn ordinary coal or illuininatin g gas for the production of heat. The ease with which gas may be introduced and supplied under steamboilers, and in producing heat in metallurgic furnaces, in the warming of buildings, in distillin g and evaporating, would make it a very desirable fuel, if a proper and convenient mode of burning it were known.

It is the object of this invention to furnish a convenient and practical mode of burning coal or other gas, so as to make it applicable as fuel for manufacturing and domestic purposes and for and under steam-boilers.

The manufacture of gas is well known, and therefore need not be described. The arrangement of furnaces with tubes, burners, and the other appliances usually employed for burning gas, is also well known.

In carrying out my invention these need not be materially changed, except by the addi tion of pipes for the purpose of mixing steam with the gas previous to its reaching the burner. By this addition of steam to the gas before it is burned the character of the flame is entirely changed, the volume of the flame is greatly increased, so that when applied to heating steam-boilers it will entirely fill the spaces under the boiler and between the tubes. The combustion is also more perfect, and the gases produced are in a better condition to give up their heat to surrounding objects than the gases produced by the ordinary mode of burning gas.

I have mentioned gases produced by distillation; but do not confine myself to those, as this invention is also applicable in the combustion of natural carbureted hydrogen as found issuing from the earth in many parts of the world, and in the combustion of carbonic oxide and the gases produced by the various water-gas processes.

Instead of passing the steam-jet directly into the gas-pipe as it approaches the burner, the steam-jet may be arranged so as to cause an increased draft of air to the flame. The mixture of gas and steam may be used, either alone, as gas is commonly used, or it may be employed to aid in the combustion of ordinary solid fuel, as wood and coal.

The boiler to furnish the steam for mixture with the gas, for the purpose of this invention, may be heated by the flame, or a part of the flame, produced by the gas, or the steam may be taken from a boiler heated by a separate fire.

When this invention is applied in heating buildings, and for heating metals, roasting ores, and the like, the steam-generator may form part of the fire-box or furnace.

For producing light the invention may be applied in heating to an intense white heat either lime or platinum sponge or wire.

I am aware that steam has been mixed with gas and the mixture passed through a heated retort, so as to decompose the steam, and steam has also been used to mix with hydrocarbon vapors for the production of light and heat.

I do not limit myself to the particular de-" 

